Was Neil Gaiman accused or found guilty of rape?

1. The accusations: multiple women, detailed allegations

Starting in mid-2024, several women went on the record accusing Gaiman of sexual assault, with investigative reporting and a podcast laying out accounts that range from coercion to violent encounters; New York Magazine and Tortoise Media were among the outlets that published those allegations ^{[1] [7] [4]}. Among the accounts, Scarlett Pavlovich — who worked as a live-in nanny in New Zealand — alleged repeated rape and coercion and later filed a civil suit that includes claims of repeated rape and human trafficking against Gaiman and his then-wife Amanda Palmer ^{[8] [2] [9]}.

2. The civil lawsuit and procedural moves

Pavlovich filed a federal civil lawsuit in early February 2025 seeking millions in damages and accusing Gaiman of repeated sexual assault while she was employed as a nanny; the suit was filed in U.S. federal courts even though the alleged conduct occurred in New Zealand ^{[2] [8]}. Gaiman’s legal team moved to dismiss the U.S. action or transfer it to New Zealand, arguing U.S. courts lack authority because the events occurred overseas, and he submitted WhatsApp screenshots and other materials to dispute the accuser’s account ^{[3] [10]}.

3. Denials, public statements and the ‘smear campaign’ framing

Gaiman has consistently and publicly denied any non-consensual sexual activity, calling the allegations “simply untrue” and characterizing the publicity around them as a “smear campaign,” saying that evidence exists which he asserts contradicts the accusations ^{[6] [11] [12]}. His public responses have included blog and social posts, court declarations asserting consensual interactions in at least one disputed encounter, and the production of messages he says show consent ^{[11] [3]}.

4. Legal status and what the reporting does — and does not — show

Reporting indicates civil litigation has been filed and that at least one court action in the U.S. was dismissed on procedural grounds related to venue, with appeals and jurisdictional disputes ongoing, but the sources do not report a criminal trial or a criminal guilty verdict against Gaiman ^{[5] [3] [8]}. Tortoise Media’s original podcast and subsequent magazine investigations documented allegations and a New Zealand police complaint is referenced in reporting, but the provided sources do not show a criminal conviction resulting from those complaints ^{[1] [4]}.

5. Competing narratives, reputational consequences and open questions

The public record in these sources shows two competing narratives: accusers recounting coercion and assault, and Gaiman disputing those accounts and arguing for dismissal or relocation of civil proceedings while alleging a targeted campaign against him; meanwhile, cultural and commercial consequences — such as projects being paused or dropped — are reported as fallout from the allegations ^{[13] [5] [11]}. Important unanswered questions in the reporting include whether criminal prosecutors in New Zealand or elsewhere will bring charges, the outcome of venue appeals and any evidentiary rulings on the WhatsApp and other materials that both sides cite ^{[5] [3]}.

6. Bottom line

Based on the sources provided: Neil Gaiman has been accused of rape and sexual assault by multiple women and faces at least one civil lawsuit alleging rape and human trafficking, and he has denied those allegations and sought dismissal or transfer of the civil case ^{[1] [2] [6]}. The materials supplied do not show that he has been criminally charged and convicted of rape; the public reporting documents allegations, denials, civil filings and procedural rulings, but not a guilty verdict ^{[5] [11]}.